Future of fabric- a feast for the eyes

Sustainability in fashion is gradually becoming more and more prominent. Ten years ago, access to recycled materials was extremely limited. Now A-list celebrities grace the red (and green) carpet with outfits that are 100% sustainable.

In this new blog series, we explore the ways in which the fashion industry is innovating to produce high quality, sustainable materials.

We delve into the depths of biotechnology and discover the new ways companies are recycling, all to help combat the impact fashion has on our planet.

Leather that leaves the cows alone

Love leather but worried about its ecological impact? Keep an eye out for Ananas Anam. The textile company has developed an animal-friendly leather using pineapple leaves. These leaves are an agricultural by-product and around 40,000 tonnes are wasted every year.

Brands Camper and Ally Campellino developed prototypes for Pinatex creator Carmen Hijosa

London-based studio SmithMatthias also designed a bag and iPad case using Pinatex

Who says fungus can’t be fashionable?

Dutch designer Aniela Hoitink has designed a dress out of mushroom mycelium – the vegetative part of mushroom fungus.

Hoitink built the textile out of mycelium modules, moulding disc shapes around a body form to create the dress.

Using mycelium in this way means that a garment can be manipulated while it’s being made.

The modular design also makes repairs easier and, as the product is 100% biodegradable, it can be composted when no longer needed.

Brew brogues from kombucha tea

A film that’s a by-product of kombucha tea could be used as a new material for clothing.

Young-A Lee, associate professor of apparel, merchandising and design at Iowa State University, says the properties of the material are similar to leather.

Once it’s been harvested and dried, shoes have been produced using the new cellulosic fibre.

Been stitching sustainably?

Have you been making garments from new sustainable materials? We’d love to hear from you. Send us your snaps on Instagram or Twitter and we’ll share them on our social feeds.

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